This image above is of the poster used to advertise this community circle

This past month, FEEST gathered with partners including Washington Building Leaders of Change (WABloc), CHOOSE 180, Southeast Seattle Educators Coalition (SESEC), Rainier Beach Action Coalition (RBAC), and the White Center CDA (WCCDA), alongside parents, teachers, former Seattle Public Schools administrators, and former FEEST Student Organizers for a powerful conversation on youth safety.

What was planned as a meeting became something much deeper. The conversation ran nearly an hour over, because people needed space to be in it together. We shared a meal prepared by FEEST, sat in circle, and held both connection and grief.

Community members spoke to the need for all of us to be more present, not just in moments of crisis, but consistently. Showing up in schools, building real relationships, and making it clear to young people that they are supported and not alone.

At the same time, the conversation named what we know to be true. Safety cannot be built through punishment or policing. Our communities are calling for something different. Care, resources, and environments where students can actually breathe, feel supported, and belong.

At FEEST, we know this work is deeply connected. Access to nourishing food, culturally relevant meals, and holistic mental health support are essential to building safer communities. When students have what they need to feel grounded, cared for, and connected, we begin to interrupt the conditions that lead to harm in the first place.

We also took time to acknowledge the weight many are carrying and grieving the loss of life in our communities, and recognizing the patterns that continue to unfold. That honesty grounded us in a shared responsibility to care for one another and to move differently.

This gathering is one step in ongoing work to build safer, more supportive schools rooted in community.